Stopping and landing mechanism for aeroplanes, dirigibles, balloons, and the like



.Apr. 10,1923. 1,451,493 v J. H. CRUICKSHANK STOPPING 'AND LANDINGMECHANISM FOR AEROPLANES, DIRIGIBLES BALLOONS, AND THE LIKE Filed Nov.26, 1921 5 sheets-sheet 1 INVENTOR ATTORNEY Apr. 10, 1923.

, J. H. CRUICKSHANK STOPPING AND LANDING MECHANISM FOR AER.OPLANESDIRIQIBLES BALLOONS, AND THE LIKE Filed ov. 26, 1921 3 sheets-51mphINVENTOR ATTORNEY v 1r W NW. $7 L I Apr; 10, 1923. 1,451,493

J. H. CRUICKSHANK STOPPIN G AND LANDING MECHANISM FOR AEROPLANES,DIRIGIBLES;

' BALLOONS, AND THE LIKE Filed Nov. 26', 1921' 5 sheets-sheet 5 INVENTORMa/v5.5 A4 dw/c/rmw/wr BY Patented Apr. 10, 1923.

entree stares ranges Parent oerice.

JAMES H. CRUICKSHANK, OF BIG INDIAN, NEW YORK.

STOPPING AND LANDING MECHANISM FOR AEROPLANES, DIRIGIBLES, BALLOONS,

V AND THE LIKE. I

Application filed November 26, 1921. Serial No. 517,929.

To all whom it may concern: 4

Be it. known thatI, JAMES H. CnUIoK- SHANK, a citizen of the UnitedStates, and a resident of Big Indian, in the county of Ulster and Stateof New York, have invented certain new and .useful Improvements inStopping and Landing Mechanisms for Aeroplanes, Dirigibles, Balloons,and the like, of which the following is aspec fication. The object ofthe present invention is to provide stopping and landing placemechanisms for aeroplanes and the like, whlch may be located almostwherever desired,

such as on a field, or on the top of a building,

or the deck of a ship, and which will permit of the landing and stoppingof the aeroplane or flying machine within a very limitedandpredetermined area positively safely, practically and economically.

The apparatus of my invention may be variously constructed, butgenerally considered comprises a landing surface, a turntable mountedtherein, and means associated therewith to be engaged by the aeroplaneor a part suspended therefrom on the landing movement, of the aeroplane,to retard and halt the aeroplane in a manner resulting in the landing ofthe aeroplane without shock and within the minimum distance of movement,and at the same" time securely hold the aeroplane after it has beenbrought to a stop. The means I employ for retard-' ingand stopping theaeroplane and which I is rendered operable thereby preferably comprisesa series of wires parallel with one another, and a retarder deviceapplied on and cooperating with said wires and consisting of upper andlower plates holding between them rollers which are interposed betweenthe wires so that on the pull of the retarder device along the wires orthe wires through said device, the wires are bent along successivesections thereof by the said rollers engaging them. by the retarderdevice serves to create a yielding resistance whichwill retard and stopthe aeroplane without shock and within then ini'mum distance. Theretarder device may be connected with a strong looped cable to beengaged by a hook suspended from theaeroplane. and the movement of theaeroplanewith its hook engaging said loop, will pull the retarder devicealong the wires with which it cooperates.

The bending of the wires I present two forms of my invention herein, inone of which the retarder device is stationary and the retarding wirescooperating therewith are adapted to have longitudinal movement throughthe retarder device under the pull of the aeroplane, and m the otherconstruction of my invention herein presented, the. retarder device ismovable upon the wires and is pulled along'the same. I associate theretarder mechanism with a turn-table so that the turn-table and the,retarder mechanism may yield to the direcmechanism being illustrated inposition to be engaged by the hook on the aeroplane;

Fig. 2 isa top view, on a reduced scale, of the stopping and landingmechanism of my invention;

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section. ona larger. scale, of the same takenon the dotted line 33 of Fig. 2; I

Fig. 4 is a vertical section of the same,.

taken on the dotted line 44 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a top view of a modified construction of stopping and landingmechanism, in

which the retarding rollers or pins are caused to travel along theseries of wires, as distinguished from. as shown in Fig. 3, pulling thewires through the rollers or pins;

Fig. 6 is a top view of the retarder mechanism of Fig. 3, with the upperportion of the turn-table omitted and the turn-table post shown insection;

Fig. 7 is a top view, partly brokeniaw ay and partly in section, of aportion of the retarder frame and its rollers or pins shown in Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is a vertical section through a portion of the same, and

Fig. 9 is a side elevation, partly broken away and partly in section, ofone form of' hook mechanism with which I may equip the aeroplane. v I

In the drawings, 10 designates an aeroplane, which is diagrammaticallyshown and I .ntended as illustrative of any aeroplane or flying machineor the like, equipped with hook mechanism 11 for cooperation with thestopping and landing mechanism of my invention. The hook mechanism 11shown is illustrative of a feature of the invention and will be modifiedin any suitable manner in accordance with the style of flying machine 10with which it may be used. The hook mechanism 11 comprises a rod 12pivotally secured at 13 to the body of the aeroplane and having at itslower end a hook 14 containing a movable crescent-like inner section 15for cooperation with a locking pin 16 carried in a tube 17 mounted onthe rod 12. The hook 14 is formed with a seat 18 for the lower end ofthe crescent-section 15, and said section 15 is normally pressedforwardly by a spring-pressed pin 19, aso shown in Fig. 9, and when inthis operative position the upper end of the section 15 holds thespring-pressed pin 16 in its upper inoperative position. The section 15will be in the position shown in Fig. 9 When the hook 14 is in conditionto engage the stopping mechanism hereinafter described, and when suchmechanism is engaged by the hook and pressure is thereby exerted againstthe section 15, the said section will be pressed into the hook 14 inopposition to the pin 19 and will, at its upper end, release the pin 16to be shot across the open side of the hook, as indicated by the dottedlines in Fig. 9, so that the cable or the like engaged by the hook willbecome locked within the same. After the aeroplane has stopped and it isdesired to release the same from the stopping and landing mechanism, thepin 16 will be moved upwardly into its housing 17, and the spring-pin 19will return the section 15 to its former position shown by full linesin'Fig. 9. 1

Referring to Figs. 2, 3, 4, 6, 7 and 8, 2O denotes any landing surface,stage, platform, roof, deck. or field, intended as a landing place foran aeroplane, and 21 a turntable mounted therein and whose upper surfaceis preferably level with that of the surface 20. The turn-table 21consists of an upper flat plate suitably mounted on a post 22 and havinga lower annular part or ring structure 23 adapted to travel on rollers24 in any usual manner. The mounting of the turn-table to rotate is adetail to which my invention is not limited.

Below the top of the turn-table 21 I'locate the retarder mechanism of myinvention, and on reference to Fig. 6 it may seen that this mechanismconsists of two side bars 25 equipped with a reel 26, pairs of feed andguide rollers 27 and a retarder frame 28 which, as shown in Figs. 7 and8, comprises upper and lower plates 29, 30 spaced apart by'blocks 31 andotherwise connected together by securing screws 32. The plates 29, 30are formed with corresponding parallel vertical holes which receive theaxles of cylindrical rollers 34 which are grooved at Upon the reel 26are two series of parallel wires 36 which extend forwardly between thefeeding and guide rollers 27 and also between the rollers 34 of theretarder device 28, the forward ends of said wires 36 being secured to ahead 37 which has means by which a pull may be exerted against it, thesemeans as at present shown comprising converging bars 38- carrying attheir forward ends a ring 39 and a wide loop of cable or the likeconnected with said ring, as more particularly shown in Figs. 2, 3 and4. The loop 40 is to be engaged by the hook 14 on the aeroplane andthereupon the aeroplane on its continued forward movement will actagainst said loop and the head 37to which the loop is connected, to drawthe wires 36 forwardly between the retarding rollers 34 for bringing theaeroplane to a stop. ,The loop 40 will preferably be laterally spread,as shownin Fig. 4, and have its upper portion supported at the top ofpivoted standards 41 by means of spring-clips 42. The lower ends of thestandards 41 are secured to a base-bar 43 carried by the turn-table 21,and said standards are equipped with springs 44 which normally hold themin a substantially upright position as shown in Fig. 3, but permit themto be turned downwardly when the loop 40 is engaged by the aeroplane andis to be released from the spring-clips 42, which yield to the pressureof the loop 40 when the latter is engaged by the hook 14 of theaeroplane.

The turn-table 21 is provided with a chute 45 through which the head 37and wires connected therewith may be drawn outwardly when the hook onthe aeroplane engages the loop 40 and is moving to its landing position.

In the operation of the mechanism hereinbefore specifically described,the parts will 7 initially be in the relative positions shown inFig. 3,with the loop 40 spread and supported uponthe pivoted standards 41. Theaeroplane on moving to land will drop the hook 14 and this hook willengage the loop 40 and, the aeroplane continuing in motion, the loop 40will be drawn off from the standards 41 and exert a pull on the head 37and wires 36, with the result that the wires 36 will be drawn betweenthe retarding rollers 34 and be bent or kinked, as shown in Fig. 7,throughout continuous sections thereof, the effect of the bendingorkinking of the wires 36 serving to yieldingly but efficiently retard themovement of said wires between the rollers, whereby the aeroplane willwithout removed to release the rollers 34, and therel ll upon by meansof a crank or the like 46 the wires, after the final kink has beenremoved therefrom, maybe rewound upon the reel 26,, this serving torestore the head 37 and its parts to their normal position. The topplate2530f the retarding device will then be -restor'ed, to positon and theloop will be returned to the standards 41. I regard thfeJturn-table 21as important, since it permits of the loop 40 being presented in anydirection suited to the direction of move-. ment of the aeroplane, and,in addition, the turn-table 21 may yield to the direction of movement ofthe aeroplane 10 so that the hook 14 may exert a direct pull on the loop40-and therethrough against the head 37 and wires 86. The loop 40 isspread laterally so as to facilitate the engagement therewith. of thehook 14, and said hook after engaging the loop 40 will pull the sameforwardly in the direction of the line of travel of the areoplane, saidloop then collapsingand making a direct pull against the head 37 andWires 36. The standards 41 are pivotally mounted so that they may turndownwardly and forwardly and not form an undue obstruction to themovement of the aeroplane or mechanism 11 carried thereby. The retardingand stopping of the aeroplane is accomplished by the continuous bending,under confinement, of the wires 36 at the rollers 34. The kinks formedin the wires 36 by the rollers 34 are continuously created, said kinksin effect traveling along the length of the wires as said wires areacted upon by the retarding rollers 34;

In .the construction shown in Fig. 5 thewires, numbered therein 47, areheld in a frame 48 in stationary position and the. re-

tarding device 49 is slidable in said, frame 48 and carries theretarding rollers corresponding with the rollers 34 of Fig. 8. Theretarding device 49 has a connection 50 with the loop 40. I present Fig.5 to illustrate that I'may draw the wires 36 through the retarflerdevice 28, as in Fig. 6, or' I may reverse the action and draw theretarder device over the wires, the wires being "held; against travel ngmovement. The lnvention comprehends therefore the travelingof theretarder deviceover the wiresor the travel of the wires through theretarder device as may befound more convenientin conditions ofinstallation. In both forms of my invention the stopping of theaeroplane is accomplished by like means in attaining'the' same result. r

I do not limit my invention to all ofthe details of form andconstruction shown in the drawings, since these will vary with theconditions surrounding variousinstallation's.

The mechanism of my inventionis designed to stop an aeroplane withshock-absorbing effect within the minimum distance of movement. and torender aeroplane water mother ships practicable and the landing ofplanes on post ofiice and other buildings practicable.

lVhat I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is:

1. Mechanism of the character described, comprising a landing surfacefor an aeroplane or like machine, a turn-table mounted therein and meansassociated therewith to be engaged by a partconnected with the aeroplaneor the like while in motion for retarding and arresting the machine,said turntable being rotatable to align the retarding means with thedirection of motion of the machine, and said retarding and arrestingmeans comprising av loop to be caught by said. part on the machine, amember consisting of a cross-head having a series of pins or the likeand a member consisting of a seriesof wires extending between said pinsand held kinked thereby, one of said members being movable with saidloop to effect the kinking of successive sections of said wires by saidpins during the movement of said movable member for strongly retardingthe motion of the same.

2. Mechanism of the character described. I

comprising a landing surface for an aeroplane or like machine, aturn-table mounted therein and means associated therewith to be engagedby a part connected with the aeroplane or the like while in motion forretarding and arresting the machine, said turntable being rotatable toalign the retarding means with the direction of motion of the machine.and said retarding and arresting means comprising a loop to be caught bysaid part on the machine, a stationary crosshead' having a series ofpins or the like, and a member consisting of a series of wires extendingbetween said pins and held kinked thereby and connected to and movablewith said loop to travel. between said pins, said pins on the travel'ofthe wires between them being adapted to kink successive sections thereofand thereby strongly retard the motion of the same and the machineconnected therewith.

Mechanism associated with alanding ;surface for retarding and arrestingan aeroplane or like machine, for landing the same, comprising a memberconsisting of a crosshead having a-series of pins or the like andconsisting of a series of wires extending between said pins and heldkinked thereby and having a part to be engaged by a part car-- ried bythe maehine' while in motion and travel therewith for drawing said wiresbetween said pins, said pins on the travel of the Wires between thembeing adapted kink continuously successive portions there of and therebycreate a strong resistance to the travel of the wires and consequentlyeffeet the retardation of the machine;

Signed at New York eit i New York and State of day of November,.A. D192J AME S H. CRUI CKSHANK.

n the county ew York, this 3rd

